The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) emphasized their call that all persons with disabilities (PWDs) should fully enjoy the benefits and privileges given by the law, whether the disability is visible or not.
DSWD Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao called on the public to show more compassion to PWDs.
“Hindi ibig sabihin na hindi nakikita ang kapansanan ay wala ito. Many persons with disabilities live with conditions that are not visible, but are as real and impactful to their everyday lives. We call on everyone to show more understanding, empathy, and respect to persons with disabilities, including those with non-apparent ones,” Dumlao stated.
The Asst. Secretary issued the statement on Monday, July 7, after a video of a man with non-visible disability being ridiculed for sitting on the priority seat of LRT-1 went viral on the internet.
According to the man in the video, he has congenital cataract and an eyeglass lens degree of over 1,150 on both eyes, which accordingly, is considered a disability by the law.
Additionally, the said discrimination was a violation of Republic Act No. 7277 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, which forbids a person to scorn a PWD, regardless of the disability. | via Florence Alfonso | Photo via Nefria Indradona
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